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The main door creaks open again, and the three musketeers are struck silent. I continue watching through the door jamb as Jada moves to stand beside them, a tube of lipstick in hand. “Congratulations, Morgan,” she declares after she applies a fresh coat of lipstick, then saves it in a small clutch. “It’s very deserving. You look amazing, and I really admire the work you’ve been doing with the Children’s Miracle Network.”
“Thanks, Jada,” Morgan returns quietly.
Then Jada turns and grins at the three of them. “Some advice, ladies: It’s not going to happen. My boy’s pretty smitten.”
“Who is she, anyway?” Morgan asks, crossing her arms and looking dejected.
“They grew up together,” Jada replies.
“It’s not like him to date down,” the first woman says bitterly. “What, is she a charity case? Is she blackmailing him?”
Jada purses her lips, and I worry for a second that she’ll tell them about the babies. “Hmm. Jealousy isn’t your color, Bailey. It doesn’t look good on you.”
She scoffs, but Morgan continues the line of questioning. “Is he just using her to fix his reputation, then? I heard he’s trying to get that ADA position. Does he think the rest of us aren’t wholesome enough for him?”
“If he’s doing anything to clean up his image, it’s to win Loren over, not the other way around. And, frankly, I don’t think Blake would care much for the way you’re talking about his girlfriend. Neither do I, for the record.”
Morgan looks away. “Sounds like you like her, Jada.”
“I do,” Jada says, her eyes darting over to the mirror, and I swear her reflection zeroes in on me. “Because I like seeing Blake happy, and she definitely makes him happy. Besides, I never thought the ‘Blake the Snake’ persona really suited him. ‘Blake the Family Man’ seems to be a better fit.” She caps it off with a wink directed at my stall, and I bite my lip to keep myself from snorting.
“Enjoy the rest of your night, ladies,” Jada offers as she walks out of the bathroom, and the three women finish their mirror-checks in silence before they follow.
I emerge from the stall and stare at my own appearance as I wash my hands, still wondering what Blake might see in me that no one else ever has. I guess I’ve always thought of myself as generically attractive, but nothing special. The only things my looks have only ever earned me are short jokes, anyway. Until the night Blake told me I was beautiful, I don’t think I’d ever heard it before. And even if it’s true, the fact that the one person who bothered to notice is also a connoisseur of beautiful women confuses me on so many different levels. It certainly doesn’t make it any easier to believe he would be interested in me were I not having his babies, especially after hearing the other women confirm my suspicions. They may not know I’m pregnant, but they’re not wrong to assume I’ve got something to hold over his head.
I let out a shaky breath before I venture out to meet Blake at the table. His face lights up the second he sees me, and my stomach does another one of those funny flips.
“There she is,” he says aloud, standing and reaching out to pull me in by the waist. “Ready to call it a night?”
I swallow hard as he stares at me, noticing the way Jada’s smirking at us in the background. “Only if you are,” I reply.
He nods. “Still want a ride?”
I shake my head and press my lips together to stifle a reaction. Then he bids his colleagues goodnight, and they all smile and titter as we walk out of the ballroom hand in hand.
He pulls me along, and we end up alone on the elevator. I lean back against the wall across from him, afraid he can hear me struggling to breathe with the air so thick and stifling between us. When I bring my gaze up to his, he’s already staring intently at me with his jaw clenched. I watch the muscles in his cheek flexing, the heat becoming unbearable by the time we reach our floor.
The elevator dings as the doors finally open. Then Blake’s eyes twinkle mischievously as he lunges forward and scoops me up in his arms, making me giggle while he carries me to the door of our hotel suite. He pretends to object when I snatch the crown from his head and toss it on the desk inside our room. I have to scold myself for wanting to keep my arms around his neck after he sets me back down on my feet.
Blake sticks his hands in his pockets once I let him go. It’s his telltale nervous tick, I’ve decided, and seeing him with his confidence lowered only makes him that much more attractive. So I move to dig in my suitcase, distracting myself by fishing for my pajamas and toiletry bag.
He clears his throat as I stand. “Need any help with your dress? I’m good with zippers, remember?”
Oh, I remember.
“Would you mind?” I ask shyly, turning my back to him. His knuckles brush my neck as he moves my hair to the side, and I feel his warm breath on my shoulder before his lips graze my back. I whisper my thanks in an effort to hide the shiver that goes through me as he slowly drags the zipper down, then I shuffle off to the bathroom, pressing my things to my chest to hold up my top.
I avoid the mirror this time, figuring it’s for the best. By the time I return in my modest pajamas, he’s still removing the final layers of his tux. I avert my eyes as he steps into a pair of athletic shorts. “Sorry, I stopped to answer a text from my brother,” he says quietly. “But I should have changed faster.”
“You’re fine,” I reply, slipping under the covers.
He takes a turn in the bathroom, hesitating at the edge of the large bed when he returns. “I can take the couch if you want.”
I roll my eyes and pat the empty space beside me. He smiles softly before he slides in and rolls on his side to face me.
“Thank you again for being my date tonight. This was … the best.”
I laugh. “Of course you’d think so. You came away with an actual crown.”
